Chandrayaan-3 hits milestone as Vikram lander detaches from spacecraft's propulsion module

Chandrayaan-3 on Thursday achieved a significant milestone as the Vikram lander detached from the spacecraft's propulsion module.

The Lander Module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) is now ready to be lowered to an orbit that takes it closer to the Moon's surface. The soft landing on the Lunar south pole is scheduled on August 23.

"Thanks for the ride, mate! said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST," said ISRO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).


After Thursday's separation, the lander is expected to undergo a "deboost" (the process of slowing down) to place it in an orbit, where the Perilune (the orbit's closest point to the Moon) is 30 kilometres and Apolune (farthest point from the Moon) is 100 km, from where the soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon will be attempted, ISRO sources said.

Meanwhile, the Propulsion Module will continue its journey in the current orbit for months/years, the country's space agency said.

"The SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth) payload onboard it (Propulsion Module) would perform spectroscopic study of the Earth's atmosphere and measure the variations in polarization from the clouds on Earth – to accumulate signatures of Exoplanets that would qualify for our habitability!" ISRO said, adding that this payload is shaped by its U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru.

Chandrayaan-3 marks India's determined resurgence after past setbacks and disappointments. Not only ISRO and the nation's leaders, but also its citizens, are eager for a successful soft landing that could elevate India to new heights in this field."


The Indian Space Research Organisation had announced that the imminent separation of the landing module, housing Vikram and Pragyan, from the propulsion module by ISRO, will take place on August 17. From now on, they will set off for their own journeys.

On August 16, the Indian Space Research Organisation said that Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has successfully undergone fifth and final lunar orbit manoeuvre.

Post the manoeuvre accomplished on Wednesday, another manoeuvre is slated for Thursday, designed for the separation of the lander. This action will require Vikram to be repositioned into an elliptical orbit. Subsequent manoeuvres will be executed by ISRO to precisely adjust the landing module's trajectory to achieve this feat.

The meticulously planned de-boost manoeuvres are projected to position Vikram into an orbit characterized by a Perilune (closest point to the Moon) of 30km and an Apolune (farthest point from the Moon) of 100km. It is from this particular orbital configuration that the ultimate landing endeavor will be undertaken.

India's ambitious third Moon mission's spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 after the launch on July 14, had entered into lunar orbit or the Moon's orbit on August 5.

A series of maneuvers have been conducted by ISRO to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3's orbit and position it over the lunar poles.

As India's space agency maneuvers each step with precision, the world eagerly anticipates the upcoming phases, culminating in the highly anticipated landing attempt that promises to push the boundaries of scientific exploration and discovery.

The soft landing isn't obviously an easy task as there are a series of complex manoeuvres involved consisting of rough and fine braking. Following the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will perform experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day, which is equal to 14 days on earth.

(With inputs from agencies)